disappointed

[rogelioifmradio]

hello!! although all tests have been done to it.. i still dont think or believe my car is giving me the 200 hp juice it should, turbo works fine, timming belt is new, sparks, wires, filters ,oil and gas presure... and the waste gate is opnening properly. i just dont get it... i step on the gas and the psi go all the way to 17, but it doesnt reflex on speed. ohh what a beautiful turbo sound... but no speed!!.. i was reading an ad on craigslist from a guy that is selling his tc and reffers to it as "the fastest car i ve ever driven" i know is an ad and the point is to say all the goods on a car, but.. if it has the same engine that my car, then i must be missing something because mi svo rides good but not fast. i can asure you any fiesta or sonic could easily humilliate me... and i cant stand that.. is a mustang i am driving!!!

[BLK BRD 88]

Do you feel a serious kick in the butt at or around 2700 to 3000rpm?
If not, something is definitely wrong with something.
Now, if you are comparing the acceleration of your SVO with the new mega-hp Mustangs of today then it simply ain't goin' to run a thrill up your leg.
Ron

[PaceFever79]

Test your fuel pressure.

[JACook]

Does SVO boost gauge tap in before or after the intercooler?

[rogelioifmradio]

I know there is just no comparison between my svo And the New mustangs .. But for instincts.. An 1.8 vw 4th generation golf or jetta wich has 180 hp really makes you feel the power..
This is what my car does..
I accelerate and the psi needle goes fast to the red line.. While your hearing the turbo wisthling..
But all that scandal doesnt traduce in speed!!
A few minutes a go i was talking with a cousin of mine whyle cruising in my svo And he told me that he used to have back in the day a fox turbo cougar And it was fast .. ! I told him Its the same engine that mine .. And he couldnt believe it

[rogelioifmradio]

Does SVO boost gauge tap in before or after the intercooler?

Hello my friend .. I dont understand the question .. How can i tell if is after or before the intercooler?

[Mike Croke]

On an SVO, the boost gauge is reading from the manifold, thus after the intercooler.

An all stock perfectly running original 85.5-'86 SVO should run mid-14 second 1/4 miles in good conditions. An '84-'85 SVO with 175 hp is closer to low-15 second ETs. This is about as fast as a Mini Cooper S (turbo), newer VW GTI Golf, Mazdaspeed 3, etc.

[bosscar]

hello!! although all tests have been done to it.. i still dont think or believe my car is giving me the 200 hp juice it should, turbo works fine, timming belt is new, sparks, wires, filters ,oil and gas presure... and the waste gate is opnening properly. i just dont get it... i step on the gas and the psi go all the way to 17, but it doesnt reflex on speed. ohh what a beautiful turbo sound... but no speed!!.. i was reading an ad on craigslist from a guy that is selling his tc and reffers to it as "the fastest car i ve ever driven" i know is an ad and the point is to say all the goods on a car, but.. if it has the same engine that my car, then i must be missing something because mi svo rides good but not fast. i can asure you any fiesta or sonic could easily humilliate me... and i cant stand that.. is a mustang i am driving!!!

My guess is you are one of many guys who will not be happy with a turbo Mustang. You need that kick in the pants torque of a V8. Totally different feel than the turbo cars and faster all the way around too. We had a few customers drive my car when it was new because the dealer wanted to show them the difference between the 302HO Capri compared to the turbo 4 cyl. Everyone one of the customers bought the 302HO after driving my car. It just doesn't have the power to put you back in the seat. And the SVO is definitely heavier than the Capri although others here have debated me on that fact. The heavier suspension and brakes is my guess but I'm sure there were some other reasons too. I road raced my car in SCCA back in the 80's and I always beat the SVO's and they were in a higher up class with the 302 Mustangs and the Corvettes! SVO's should never have been put in that class but SCCA thought that it was going to be more of a threat than it actually was. You can do a lot with upgrades though. It's up to you if you want to go down that road.
Jim

[n20capri]

Yeah the SVO gives a completely different feeling than the V8 cars...However, I had never driven one until I got my SVO in 09 - and having driven my low 11 sec Capri and my dads 10 sec 87 Lx for the last 15 plus years, I was certain I was going to be disappointed...but I wasn't. I loved the way it drove and the way it handled immediately. However, my expectations were that it was probably only a 14 or 15 sec car. Not sure what you went in thinking it was going to feel like.

You also have to understand this is a 27+ year old car...and YES, most of the new cars today will outrun it...even the econo boxes and minivans! It's just a fact. lol. Not saying there still isn't something wrong with it - just trying to get a feel for what your expectations were/are...

[n20capri]

My guess is you are one of many guys who will not be happy with a turbo Mustang. You need that kick in the pants torque of a V8. Totally different feel than the turbo cars and faster all the way around too. We had a few customers drive my car when it was new because the dealer wanted to show them the difference between the 302HO Capri compared to the turbo 4 cyl. Everyone one of the customers bought the 302HO after driving my car. It just doesn't have the power to put you back in the seat. And the SVO is definitely heavier than the Capri although others here have debated me on that fact. The heavier suspension and brakes is my guess but I'm sure there were some other reasons too. I road raced my car in SCCA back in the 80's and I always beat the SVO's and they were in a higher up class with the 302 Mustangs and the Corvettes! SVO's should never have been put in that class but SCCA thought that it was going to be more of a threat than it actually was. You can do a lot with upgrades though. It's up to you if you want to go down that road.
Jim

I'll debate you on that too! lol I've weighed my SVO (3100 lbs.), my Capri 5.0 (3438 lbs.) and my Dad's option delete 87 Lx 5.0 (3180 lbs.) so I know for a fact the SVO isn't heavier.

[Jimmy2.3Mustang]

It could be anything really... It could be that the car is just slower than you'd expect in spite of being in tip top tune and condition. Or it could be that there's something wrong that doesn't stand out as an obvious problem. Any number of things could be worn out.

[PaceFever79]

If it's running right it should set you back in the seat when it comes on boost, it might not make your heart race compared to modern cars, but it should put you back in the seat when it hits the boost especially in gears 1 and 2. If it seems to be running well otherwise (no missing or running rough) then I think you should check the fuel pressure. Fuel starvation is a fairly common cause of this condition you are describing. As the revs and boost build, so does the demand for fuel volume. A weak pump or flaky regulator could cause the condition you are describing. You said in your original post the gas pressure was ok? How did you go about testing the pressure and what were the readings you got?

[rogelioifmradio]

Yeah the SVO gives a completely different feeling than the V8 cars...However, I had never driven one until I got my SVO in 09 - and having driven my low 11 sec Capri and my dads 10 sec 87 Lx for the last 15 plus years, I was certain I was going to be disappointed...but I wasn't. I loved the way it drove and the way it handled immediately. However, my expectations were that it was probably only a 14 or 15 sec car. Not sure what you went in thinking it was going to feel like.

You also have to understand this is a 27+ year old car...and YES, most of the new cars today will outrun it...even the econo boxes and minivans! It's just a fact. lol. Not saying there still isn't something wrong with it - just trying to get a feel for what your expectations were/are...

Ive had v8 Fox mustangs before And i can asure you guys this is not an v8 vs 4 turbo isue..
I ve driven Chrysler shadow a And lebarons with turbo And i am sure my svo is not near their performance..
I prefer a "complete" car over a straight line bully , thats why i bought the svo.
Without going to the track i can tell it wont clock 15 seca..
I know is not a v8!! Im ok with that !
I Also know i am not geting the best out of my car..

[Ourobos]

I had a 665hp car that only made 320 to the tires on the dyno.. Turns out I had burnt up my trac-loc.. Upgraded to a locker and all 665hp was there.. How's the clutches in your trac-loc in the rear?

[rogelioifmradio]

I had a 665hp car that only made 320 to the tires on the dyno.. Turns out I had burnt up my trac-loc.. Upgraded to a locker and all 665hp was there.. How's the clutches in your trac-loc in the rear?

Well i recently ( 1 month a go) replaced press And disc in the clutch .. But didn't check the track loc. .. Will do that .. At this very moment i am 40 km a way from Home . Took the svo to the trip... No excitment at all..Its working as a 4 cil car .. Turbo needle moves... Only when i step on the pedal... No boost at all under normal acceleration ..

[gmatt]

I'm not any kind of expert on the turbos, is it typical for these cars to build boost pressure quickly? 17 psi seem kind of high? Couldn't an obstructed exhaust cause a build-up of boost with no acceleration? If I'm way off base just ignore me, lol.

[82GTforME]

Yeah the SVO gives a completely different feeling than the V8 cars...However, I had never driven one until I got my SVO in 09 - and having driven my low 11 sec Capri and my dads 10 sec 87 Lx for the last 15 plus years, I was certain I was going to be disappointed...but I wasn't. I loved the way it drove and the way it handled immediately. However, my expectations were that it was probably only a 14 or 15 sec car. Not sure what you went in thinking it was going to feel like.

I agree, I am happy with the performance of my '86 too. It surpassed my expectations and is stock other than the wires from what I have surmised. The previous owner said he ran 14.0 on street tires at the track.

If it's running right it should set you back in the seat when it comes on boost, it might not make your heart race compared to modern cars, but it should put you back in the seat when it hits the boost especially in gears 1 and 2.

I haven't driven one of the newer mustangs or even ridden in one so my expectations weren't super high I suppose. My boost and acceleration are as you describe.

[rogelioifmradio]

I agree, I am happy with the performance of my '86 too. It surpassed my expectations and is stock other than the wires from what I have surmised. The previous owner said he ran 14.0 on street tires at the track.



I haven't driven one of the newer mustangs or even ridden in one so my expectations weren't super high I suppose. My boost and acceleration are as you describe.

I only wish i can get my car to work the way it should.. I know i wont be disaponted once i get it tip top

[PaceFever79]

I'm not any kind of expert on the turbos, is it typical for these cars to build boost pressure quickly? 17 psi seem kind of high? Couldn't an obstructed exhaust cause a build-up of boost with no acceleration? If I'm way off base just ignore me, lol.

Sure, a clogged cat would cause any engine to run lazy.

[LilRed86coupe]

I've only drove one SVO in my life because i'm a V8 guy but the bone stock 86 i drove sure impressed me! You could really feel the torque when the boost kicked in for sure. Why don't you post some videos of you driving the car that way we can judge if the acceleration matches the boost gauge. I'm sure members here that have SVO's can tell from the video if your SVO matches their's in acceleration.

[rogelioifmradio]

I've only drove one SVO in my life because i'm a V8 guy but the bone stock 86 i drove sure impressed me! You could really feel the torque when the boost kicked in for sure. Why don't you post some videos of you driving the car that way we can judge if the acceleration matches the boost gauge. I'm sure members here that have SVO's can tell from the video if your SVO matches their's in acceleration.

I like the idea... I will do that tomorrow.. Regards

[JACook]

Sure, a clogged cat would cause any engine to run lazy.

I would expect a clogged cat would pretty much kill off anything resembling boost.

[n20capri]

I had a kinked fuel line in my Capri (V8) once...the car started drove and idled perfectly but when I got on it, it was a DOG. No miss or rough running, just an absolute dog...bogged terribly and had no power...I had pressure but not volume...I'm thinking in a turbo car if this were the case the car would be pinging like crazy - BUT, I suppose the knock sensor could be pulling nutty timing...THIS, could cause the car to run as described I think...something to check out anyway. Also, has the timing been checked...if it's way off it could run as described as well. Food for thought...

[rogelioifmradio]

I had a kinked fuel line in my Capri (V once...the car started drove and idled perfectly but when I got on it, it was a DOG. No miss or rough running, just an absolute dog...bogged terribly and had no power...I had pressure but not volume...I'm thinking in a turbo car if this were the case the car would be pinging like crazy - BUT, I suppose the knock sensor could be pulling nutty timing...THIS, could cause the car to run as described I think...something to check out anyway. Also, has the timing been checked...if it's way off it could run as described as well. Food for thought...

I Cant thank you guys enough for all your comments.. I will get to check fuel presure And fuel lines And filters next monday,i will Also
Check the cat ..on the timing belt department i got to say that it was replaced 2 weeks a go, not because of trouble but because of mileage 98k miles. I ve got to say that the mechanic didn't do all the "sprout out " thing i ve read here regarding the timing belt, he said that that procedure is only done when you fix or rebuilt te engine .. So he only marked points on the pulleys and lock them. Anyway the car works the same as it was before.
I will send the video tomorrow... Night night!

[bosscar]

I'll debate you on that too! lol I've weighed my SVO (3100 lbs.), my Capri 5.0 (3438 lbs.) and my Dad's option delete 87 Lx 5.0 (3180 lbs.) so I know for a fact the SVO isn't heavier.

Well, you have to compare apples to apples. A V8 car is an orange, not an apple, my Turbo RS is in the 2,960 range, which places the SVO in a 100-200 pound heavier class, which is the same as carrying a fairly heavy passenger with you. When a passenger is riding with me, I can definitely feel the difference, it is very noticeable in performance. The car rides better but the acceleration is definitely down.